In recent years the number of wind power turbines and wind farms connected to the electrical power grid has increased considerably. For this reason, grid operators have increased the performance requirements for wind turbines, specifying certain requirements of behaviour in case of faults (e.g. grid voltage dips) to prevent their cut-off from the grid.
Among the various wind turbine types, those based on double-fed topologies are most sensitive to grid perturbations. In this type of topology, in case of a voltage dip the rotor winding suffers high currents that may damage the converter connected to the rotor.
There are currently several different solutions that protect the converter from the high currents produced in double-fed systems.
Some of these solutions (such as WO03/065567, WO 2004/091085 and WO 2005/015730), for example, introduce impedances in parallel to the stator or the rotor of the generator. However, these solutions require uncoupling the generator from the grid or losing control of the generator in the initial moments of the transition, thereby hindering compliance with grid operator requirements.
Other solutions (WO03/058789) propose inserting between the generator and the grid some impedances in series with each of the stator phases. This requires incorporating a high number of components in the system, with the resulting increase in losses and risk of faults.
The invention disclosed presents an alternative that allows, in case of grid fault, to keep the generator connected to the grid and controlled at all times with a small number of elements that provide improved performance and reliability of the system. This invention intends to limit the currents present during the grid fault, so that the peak torque in the mechanical train is reduced and at the same time guaranteeing compliance with grid connection requirements, as the active and reactive currents are controlled at all times.